Years Gone By
by Gus Cunningham
Summary: Years after the splitting of Team 5D's, Akiza now works as a successful doctor in a far off city. Fate brings her back to her hometown of New Domino City. After years of holding back she contacts Yusei hoping to finally confess her feelings for him. But ghosts from their pasts loom in the shadows, having waited for the signers return.
1. Chapter 1

A low buzzing noise came from the paging system on Akizas desk. The small red light began to flash on and off rapidly as one of the nurses on duty began to furiously try to wake the sleeping doctor. She had been in the hospital for the past week spending almost every waking hour attending to the tidal wave of never-ending patients. School was back in session, which meant flu season was upon them and this year was shaping up to be the worst they'd ever seen. Children could be heard coughing from every floor of the overfilled hospital.

She had a soft spot for kids after being around Leo and Luna back in the old days. Back when she would duel to save the world. Now she was saving it in another way, saving it by saving sick kids in the children's hospital when she wasn't on call at the large general hospital downtown. It was hard work but the rewards in her eyes were worth it. Children smiling as they were able to go back out and play, families thankful she was there in time to save one of their own on the brink of death, it helped her sleep good knowing she was doing good in the world.

The only downside: the shitty hours and only sleeping three on a good day. With a low grumble, she reached her hand over to the paging system pressing down the talk button and letting out a sigh. "What is it, Lacey? Can it wait a few more minutes?" the redhead groaned, rubbing her face with her free hand "I've got a good…shit, I had thirty minutes left…"

"I wish it could Doctor but we need you to look over a few patients. Room 4 just got their chest x-rays finished and room 6 has blood work back. Room 5's fever won't go down and Room 7-"

"All right, all right I'll be there in just a but…let me freshen up first" she cut off the nurse, letting out a long sigh before letting go of the button "What I wouldn't give for a shower about now…" she leaned over and took a sniff at her coat, nose wrinkling at the smell. By her count, it had been at least 36 hours since she was last able to really change into something that didn't reek.

"I have a feeling its going to be another few hours till I can get a proper shower" Akiza sighed, stretching her arms above her head and hearing a crack in her back, shivering at how lovely it felt "Finally that popped" she stood up from her chair, walking over to the door and flicking the lights on in her office, her eyes taking a few moments to adjust.

Her time was normally spent at the children's hospital so it made sense that she made herself at home in her office. Behind her on the window sill lay her old duel disk, still in working order. She learned a thing or two from Yusei about upkeep and the kids who had extended stays certainly enjoyed being able to duel a few times when she had the chance. A miniature rose bush and succulents were littered across the sill with pictures of her time in Domino City scattered around.

There was a group photo of the old 5d's team, one of Luna and Leo at their graduation from Duel Academy, Jack with Carly celebrating one of his many victories, and many others from their adventures. One she kept near and dear to her heart though was one of Yusei, smiling as she caught him working on a new project in the garage. It was one of the last times she saw him before leaving for med school. She would find herself admiring the photo often, feeling her heart flutter as she held it. If there was one thing she regrets, it was never contacting Yusei over the years.

She stayed in contact with Luna and Carly to catch up on what the boys were doing. They would try to get her to call him, even an email to see about meeting up when she would return to visit her parents during the holidays, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. An excuse she would always tell herself was he was busy working in his lab or that he had other things going on in his life that were more important. Although she kept in contact with Luna and Carly the two hardly knew what Yusei would be up to. He was reclusive almost, burying himself in his work, trying to make improvements to make New Domino City an even better place to live.

Akiza glanced at the pictures before turning to the small coat rack in her office. She had come prepared for her shifts bringing extra coats just in case. She slipped off her dirty one and grabbed a fresh one, walking over to the attached restroom to give her face a quick clean. After a quick brush of her hair, she tied it up once more into the bun she normally wore letting her long bangs hang down to frame her face.

"All right Akiza. Just a little more and then this stint will be over. Then you can relax for two weeks." She told herself, pepping herself up for her patients. With a small smile, she made her way out of her office, ready to give it her all for her patients.

-x-

The hours ticked by slowly as she went from room to room taking care of each child under her care. It didn't help that some of the parents were testing her patience complaining how long they waiting for her. With a sigh and a smile, she politely explained that she was occupied with paperwork relating to their insurance. A little white lie to cover up her short nap in her office. It worked well enough and that's all that mattered to her while she took vitals and ordered what needed to be ordered to make their child feel more comfortable.

During the final hour of her shift, she tackled the massive pile of paperwork that accumulated over the night. She was close to falling asleep once more in the middle of signing her name till a knock on the door caused her to snap awake. The doctor scheduled to relieve her arrived and before he got the chance to ask where he needed to begin, Akiza was already grabbing her bag.

"I know what you're about to ask and don't worry everything is all organized and set up for you to take over without an issue. Keep an eye on room 7, the little guy is having some issues breathing, looking like pneumonia. Room 5's parents are a nightmare so have fun with that and Lacey can help you with whatever you need" She moved around the room like a mad woman, grabbing her dirty coat and pushing the empty bags from her snack breaks into the garbage can next to the desk.

"Don't suppose there's anything else I need to be aware of?" the doctor watched as Akiza fixed up the room, wanting to leave him as clean of a workspace as she could manage at the moment she had to clean.

"No no that's basically it. As I said, Lacey can help till her shift is over. By then you should be all right" she stuffed the dirty coat into her messenger bag, taking off her current one to keep from being asked if she was on call "Well…I'll leave you to it. Don't work too hard" she gave the other doctor a light pat on the shoulder before exiting her office, walking as fast as she could to the front entrance of the hospital.

Despite knowing how to drive she often took a taxi to work especially during her longer shifts. The last thing she needed was to get into a car accident by falling asleep at the wheel. Her usual taxi driver waited for her outside giving her a wave. "Look who finally escaped? Headed straight home tonight? Or do you need me to swing by somewhere and grab you a bite?"

"Just straight home Cliff but thank you for the offer" Akiza opened the door to the backseat, tossing her bag to the other side of the car before relaxing into her seat "How has your night been? A lot of customers?"

"Eh, not too many. Most people are at the game or the concert downtown right now so after I take you home, I'm gonna work for that crowd. Keep them drunk idiots from driving" the old man flicked on the meter. He was kind enough to not charge Akiza for when he was idled waiting for her but she made it up to him by giving him a nice tip.

"Hopefully no one vomits in the back seat again. It reeked back here for a week" she chuckled, watching as Clint lifted up a small trash can from his passenger seat to show her.

"Don't worry missy. I've got it covered" he set the can back down and adjusted his hat. Underneath his hair had been thinning and he had been self-conscious about it, often fixing his silver hair to cover the growing bald spot. Akiza had been kind enough to get him a hat, one of the many little things she would do for the elderly man. He was willing to pick her up and take her to work at any time. The man worked endless hours to keep himself busy. The past few years had been rough on him; losing his wife, son moving away, and being all alone had taken a toll on him. If it weren't for picking up the little taxi job and meeting Akiza, he wouldn't know where he would be.

"Thank goodness" she chuckled, her phone begins to vibrate in her bag. She dug through to grab it seeing there was a new text message from her mother. Typically on Sundays, they would chat over video call to catch up. Mrs. Izinski was always worried about Akiza ever since she moved abroad and decided to stay. Akiza understood and reassured her every time they chatted she was doing fine hoping to give her mother some comfort. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her mother to send her messages every once in a while but being so late at night she couldn't help but wonder something was going on.

"Hey, there sweetie. It's mom" even though her name was clearly in her daughters phone, it was a force of habit "I know its nowhere near close to the holidays but your father is having a bit of trouble" Akiza could feel her heart skip a beat from worry "Would you be able to come home for a bit? You'd know more than anyone if there's something that can be done"

Trouble? What sort of trouble could there be? Her mind raced over what it could have been. Maybe it was heart problems or it could have been he just came down with something. Without any hesitation, she replied back to her mother letting her know she would be on one of the next flights back to New Domino City.

"So got any plans for your time off?" Clint inquired.

"Looks like I'll be headed back home."

(Thanks for reading the first chapter to my return to YGO fanfics! I hope to update this every Sunday unless something comes up (such as being away on a trip). I've been binging 5D's and couldn't help but write about my absolute favorite pairing.

I don't have plans for how long this will be but I know that there will at least be 10 chapters. Will there be more? Possibly. Less? Unlikely. But I hope you stick around to see where everything goes! I've got a real doozy of a story planned :]

\- Gus)

(EDIT: Punctuation errors have been updated as best as I could manage 3 )


	2. Chapter 2

Turbulence rattled the plane, startling Akiza from her slumber. She managed to get a few hours sleep before finding herself waiting in the airport terminal for the flight to arrive but she wasn't going to pass up prime napping time back to New Domino. As soon as the flight took off she was knocked out drooling and lightly snoring in her window seat in first class.

The redhead lifted up the small screen over the window looking out down below to see the lights shining brightly from the city. Faintly she could make out runners zooming along the expansive highway as early morning duels progressed. Seemed like someone was determined to find a spot in the Grand Prix that was scheduled to happen in the next few weeks. She remembered all those long mornings she spent out on the road till her first and only Grand Prix. Working on strategies, riding alongside her friends, watching Crow freakout as he needed to head to work in the middle of training sessions. They brought a smile to her face.

The overhead light flashed and began to beep, the seatbelt indicator flickering on and off. They were beginning their final descent down into the city.

Akiza stretched her arms above her head as she waited by baggage claim. Unbeknownst to her a figure slowly began to creep up behind her and suddenly wrapped their arms around her. Before she could let out a scream a familiar voice shouted her name laughing. She whipped her head around.

Leo had her in a bear hug while Luna shyly waves behind him mouthing an apology for her brother. Despite being twins Leo had a few inches in height compared to his sister. Underneath the casual shirt, he was quite muscular. He certainly needed it when it came to working on his runner and others in his spare time. His long bright blue hair was kept in the classic ponytail he wore since childhood and his face had just a bit of stubble. Luna, on the other hand, had ditched her ponytails long ago keeping her hair down and straightened. She was average for her build but it didn't take much but the flip of a switch for her to become intimidating.

"Oh man Akiza it's been like...forever since you've been back!" Leo grinned as his grip loosened on her "You should have seen your face! Didn't see it coming at all huh?"

"Nope. Not at all." Akiza glared at her old friend, fixing her shirt

"I tried to stop him but you know Leo. Once he gets his mind on something he just has to do it." Luna chuckled softly as she greeted Akiza with a much softer hug "It's so good to see you again."

Akiza happily returned the hug to Luna, all while giving Leo the look of 'see THIS is how you're supposed to greet someone' to which he just rubbed the back of his neck smiling sheepishly.

"It's good to see you as well...but why are you here? How on earth did you even know I was coming in?"

"Well...your mom felt bad she couldn't come to grab you so she asked the two of us to come. Figured it would be better than being alone in a taxi right?"

"That explains it. I know the two of you don't have any sort of psychic abilities...unless Leo got hit hard in the head recently?" Akiza smirked as Leo pouted

"I'll have you know that I haven't gotten hit in the head since I last crashed the new runner I was testing! And that was forever ago!"

"Leo that was three days ago...man they really should have checked you out better."

The two began to bicker while Akiza watched, grabbing her suitcase as it made its way around over to her. She missed the twins. Even though Leo could be annoying at times she missed having a little brother to pick on and Luna, she missed being able to talk to in person. Sure the occasional video call with her always left her in better spirits but nothing could compare to being around her in real life.

Thankfully for her sake, Luna was the one driving. Leo had his reputation of being one of the best turbo duelists, but a car was a whole different beast compared to a runner. The two girls forced him to the backseat while they sat up front, Leo reclining on Akiza's suitcase as they waited in the usual morning traffic rush. "What in the world do you have in here? This thing feels like its going to burst." he pushed against the suitcase with one of his hands, Akiza reaching back to give a light smack against it.

"Keep it up and you'll be the one stuffed in there." Akiza glanced back at him, Leo sticking his tongue out at her "He's still this much of a brat?"

"Oh, you have no idea" Luna groaned softly, glancing over at Akiza "Do you plan to stay for a while? You normally don't bring that much with you."

"Well, I do usually end up going on a bit of a shopping spree each time I'm here remember? Those winter sales always get me and my poor wallet...but no I don't really have plans to stay for too long. Figure I'd at least stay for a week while I find out what's wrong with Dad. Maybe wait till his treatment plan is finalized and Mom has the help she needs before heading back."

"Do you think its something serious?" Luna frowned

"Can't say. I'm hoping its something small." Her brows furrowed. She spent most of her time packing and booking her flight worrying about what could possibly be wrong. She needed to keep a clear mind and remain calm. Panicking would only worry her mother and make it harder to find out what was wrong.

"Well...If she needs help I don't mind lending a hand. This semester is going slow and besides your mother has helped me and Leo out quite a bit after we moved back, its the least I could do." she softly smiled.

Originally the two had moved away to be with their parents but, once Leo began his dueling career the two made their way back to New Domino. Luna juggled school along with working with Leo to make sure he was taken care of when it came to sponsors or whatever he needed. She managed his career. The last thing she needed to deal with was her brother trusting some stranger with his career. At least with Luna, the worst thing that could happen to him was being berated for pulling a stupid stunt that ended up with him hurt instead of being taken for everything.

Akiza's parents had taken to all of team 5Ds, especially the twins. It could have been the fact they were adorable at the time or maybe how much they meant to Akiza. Her father was one of the first to sponsor Leo and when the two needed help finding a place in New Domino, they offered to help the two till they found a place of their own.

"I really appreciate it, Luna. You'd help too right Leo?" Akiza asked

"You kidding me? What kind of guy would I be if I didn't help the old man? He's like a second dad to me! I gotta keep him kicking!"

The car pulled up in front of Akiza's childhood home, the house still the same as it always had been. Leo offered to grab her suitcase and bring it up to the door for her, giving him a tight hug before giving one to Luna, saying their goodbyes and to make sure to let her know the two got home safe. She turned to face the door, taking a deep breath before ringing the bell, the lock on the door clicking before it opened, her mother giving a faint smile.

"Welcome home Akiza."

(Wow it took me forever to update this! Life ended up getting very busy and next thing I knew it was the holidays whoops. I'm gonna try to do a chapter every week if I can. I'm feeling the muse of writing hit me which is great! I'm hoping to have Yusei come in around Chapter 4. Sorry if it seems like its taking forever and a day but I'm a person who likes to more or less take things slow c:

Happy Holidays!

-Gus)

(EDIT: Due to feedback I've gone and worked on the punctuation of this chapter. Hopefully it's a little better than it was before. I'll actively try to make sure my punctuation is better from now on c: )


End file.
